by Pamela Bauer
“You could go downstairs and see your girlfriend.”
So much for keeping his relationship with Dena private. Knowing there was no point in denying his feelings for her, he simply said, “We didn’t make plans for tonight.” It wasn’t exactly the truth. If everything had gone as planned, he and Dena would have been in Mexico.
“So can’t you just drop in on her?”
“I could, but…” He was hesitant to say that he didn’t feel like leaving Sara alone.
As if she could read his thoughts, she said, “Nothing’s going to happen to me if you’re not in the same room with me.”
He wanted to believe she was right, because he needed to see Dena. He’d thought about her all day, wondering if she’d heard that the kids would be staying until the end of June. He’d wanted to tell her himself, but Kevin had blurted out the news to Leonie when they’d gone down for breakfast yesterday, and from the discussion he’d had with Leonie, he knew that she planned to talk to Dena. “I’ll leave you Dena’s number in case you need anything.”
She shrugged. “Whatever. It’s not like I can’t walk down a flight of stairs and knock on a door.”
“You sure you don’t mind if I leave for a little while?” he asked as he scribbled Dena’s number on the notepad next to the phone.
“I don’t mind,” she said on a note of boredom.
“You’ll be all right?”
“I’ll be all right,” she repeated on the same note.
“Call me if there’s a problem,” he said as he slipped out the door. He practically flew down the flight of stairs to the second-floor landing.
As he knocked on Dena’s door he realized that he hadn’t given a thought as to whether or not she’d be home. To his relief, she was. She answered the door wearing gray sweatpants and a navy-blue tank top. Her hair had been tied up in a ponytail, but most of it had come undone and hung provocatively around her neck.
“Quinn! I wasn’t expecting you,” she said, her voice sounding breathless.
“Can I come in?”
She opened the door wider and gestured for him to enter. “I’m in kind of a mess. You’ll have to step around it.”
As soon as he entered her apartment he saw to what she referred. Rolled out on the floor was a bolt of pink-and-white polka-dot cloth with paper shapes pinned to it.
“What are you making?” he asked.
“A dress. I wasn’t expecting company.” She moved some of the fabric so he could step into the small area she used as a sitting room.
“Is it for you?”
“Yes.”
“Do you make all of your clothes?”
“Some of them.”
It was a first for him. Most of the women he’d dated wore designer originals, and they were definitely not the designers. “I’m impressed.”
She chuckled. “Why? It’s not that difficult.”
“Are you kidding? I took Living Skills when I was in the seventh grade. I know what it’s like to try to work one of those things,” he said, pointing to her sewing machine. He smiled at the memory. “If it wasn’t for Caroline Caulder, I would have flunked that class.”
“She did your homework for you?” she guessed.
He nodded. “We had to make this pillow. She sewed all the edges. I did help her stuff it, though.”
“I bet you did,” she said with a sly grin. “Can you stay for a while?”
Her question made his heart sing. “As a matter of fact, I can. Kevin’s asleep and Sara’s watching TV.” He sat down on the love seat, hoping she’d sit next to him.
“Need something to drink?” she asked.
He shook his head and patted the seat next to him. “All I need is you.” When she sat down beside him he pulled her close and kissed her. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too,” she said, kissing him back with equal fervor.
“I have something to tell you.”
“If it’s about the kids, I think I already know.”
“Leonie told you?”
She nodded. “She said they’re staying until the end of June.”
“It’s not going to be easy—I know next to nothing about kids—but we’ll make it work. I owe it to Doug and Patsy. I know if the situation had been reversed, Doug would have done the same thing for me.”
“I don’t know what else to say except I’m sorry.”
He shrugged. “Stuff happens and life doesn’t always go as planned,” he stated philosophically. “I just hope I can do right by them. Sara’s really having a hard time.”
“She’s scared and lonely and terribly sad.”
“And she was counting on only having to spend a few days here. I know it was a big disappointment for her to hear her aunt wasn’t going to be able to take them until July.”
“What about Kevin? Was he upset with the news, too?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. Just the opposite, actually.”
“He’s become quite attached to you already, hasn’t he?”
“You’ve noticed?”
She smiled. “It’s rather obvious.”
“It’s probably because I’m a guy.”
“You make him feel safe in a world in which he’s lost his only sense of security.”
“He’s like a shadow. He doesn’t like to let me out of his sight for even a minute. I’m hoping that once he starts school he’ll lose some of that insecurity.”
“School might be good for both of them,” Dena commented.
He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “I still can’t believe this has happened.”
She gently traced his forehead with her fingertips. “I wish I could erase all the stress I see in your face.
“You do, just by being here.”
She placed a butterfly kiss on his lips, and it was sweet temptation. When she slipped two fingers inside his shirt to undo the buttons, his eyes opened.
“Do you need to get back to the kids?” she asked as her fingers caressed his chest, reminding him of a need he’d been trying to ignore.
“No, but we need to talk.”
She stilled her fingers.
“We need to decide if we should continue on with the way things have been,” he told her, holding her gaze.
“Is there a reason why we shouldn’t?”
“Only the obvious one. The kids.”
“I don’t want things to change…unless you do?”
“You’re okay with our original arrangement?”
She nodded. “Aren’t you?”
He smiled in relief. “Yeah, I am. It’s just that I know it’s going to be difficult to make time for us while I’m guardian to Kevin and Sara.”
“We knew when we started seeing each other that time was going to be at a premium,” she said, her hands sliding down his chest until they reached his waist. When they fumbled with his belt buckle, he inhaled sharply.
“That’s why we need to make the most of whatever time we have,” he said, slipping his hands under the tank top. His fingers found naked flesh. She wasn’t wearing a bra. Seeing the look on his face at the discovery, she smiled.
“That’s right. We have to take advantage of every opportunity.”
He pulled the tank top over her head and stared at her beauty. “I’ve been dreaming about this ever since I left on the final road trip.”
“No more dreaming,” she said, her eyes darkening with desire as she undid his belt buckle.
The ringing of the phone stilled her hands. She grimaced in frustration, then went to answer it. Quinn knew by the look on her face that it was for him.
“It’s Sara,” she said, confirming his suspicions as she handed him the phone.
“Hi, Sara, what’s up?” he asked, trying not to sigh at the sight of Dena covering her naked breasts.
“You’d better come back up here.”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“Kevin threw up in your bed.”
Quinn knew at that moment that he’d
seen his last glimpse of naked female flesh for a while.
DENA KNEW Quinn was frustrated. She was frustrated, too. Neither one was used to having to work their schedules around kids. Both agreed they would do whatever was necessary to make sure they did spend time together.
That’s why Dena didn’t want to turn down any of Quinn’s invitations to go out with him and the children. During the following week, she went with them to the pizza parlor, the movies and the shopping mall, hoping her presence would help Quinn in some way.
She doubted that it did. Although Kevin warmed to her, Sara treated her with the same insolence she showed Quinn, which Dena tried not to take personally. It was hard not to feel uncomfortable, however, when the girl made it so obvious that she resented Dena’s presence.
When Dena eventually mentioned her concerns to Quinn, he told her that, in his opinion, the girl was simply working through her grief. Dena didn’t want to be the one upon whom she worked it through, and she told him she thought it was better if she didn’t go along on the next outing.
The next evening Quinn showed up on her doorstep. She invited him in, but he declined.
“If I come in I’m not going to want to leave,” he told her, his eyes full of desire.
“I know. That’s why I asked you,” she said with a tempting grin.
He shoved her into her apartment and kissed her until she thought her knees would buckle. Then he sighed. “I can’t stand not seeing you. I have a plan.”
She folded her arms across her chest. “Go on. I’m listening.”
“Being the kids are new to this area, I thought I’d give them a Minnesota experience. Do you know what next weekend is?”
“I’ve been working so hard I don’t even know what today is,” she quipped.
“It’s the fishing opener.” His eyes lit up at the thought. “When we were kids my mom and dad always took us camping on that weekend. We’d go to this campsite where they rent boats and there’s this little bait shop…” He went on, expounding on the wonders of the Pinecone Campground.
When he finally stopped, Dena said, “You want me to go camping?” She did her best not to show him just how unappealing it sounded.
Apparently she did a good job because he continued. “It’ll be fun. I’ve got a tent and all the equipment. And I’ve already checked with reservations. We can get a campsite at Pinecone. We’ll take the kids fishing, play some games, sit around the campfire and eat s’mores. What do you think? Will you come with us?”
He was so enthusiastic, she had a hard time telling him what she really thought of the idea. When he reached for her hands and said, “I know this is a far cry from Mexico, but at least we can be together,” she found it hard to voice any objection. And then there was that look of promise in those blue eyes.
“I’ve only been camping once when I was about nine, but I was a Girl Scout,” she confessed.
“I’ll teach you what you don’t know. I’ve already seen what a quick learner you are,” he said with a grin that reminded her of other things he’d taught her.
A weekend with him in the woods would be wonderful. The problem was the kids would be there, too. From the way Sara had been treating her, she knew it could get uncomfortable for both of them.
“I’d like to go, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea. Sara’s made it clear that she—”
He silenced her by placing his finger on her lips. “Sara’s getting better slowly. Just say you’ll come. Please.”
She felt her resistance cave in. “Let me check my calendar.” She glanced at her desk and sighed. “I promised my brother I’d watch his kids that weekend. I’m sorry.”
His face fell momentarily, then he said, “Bring the kids along.”
“I can’t do that!” She already felt inept when it came to taking care of kids when they were in a safe environment like a home. She’d never manage in the wilderness.
“Why not? It’ll be fun.”
“It’ll be a lot of work,” she corrected him.
“Camping is camping whether there are two or seven. The more there are, the easier it is to play games.”
Dena thought she had to be crazy to even contemplate the idea, but she did want to be with Quinn. And at least Jeremy, Bethany and Luke liked her. It would be nice to have friendly faces around to counteract Sara’s hostility.
“I’d have to okay it with my brother and his wife,” she found herself saying.
“Call and ask them.”
She glanced at her watch. It wasn’t that late. Lisa thought it was a terrific idea for Jeremy and Bethany to go on the camping trip, but had reservations regarding three-year-old Luke.
Just when Dena thought it wasn’t going to work out, her sister-in-law offered to ask her best friend to take Luke for the weekend. Thanks to three-way calling, the arrangements were completed in a matter of minutes.
When Dena hung up the phone, Quinn asked anxiously, “We’re set?”
She nodded. “You do realize that my nephew could very well become another Kevin, not leaving your side the entire weekend? He’s one of your biggest fans.”
Quinn smiled. “Do I take it that means you’re bringing your niece and nephew?”
She nodded. “I hope this isn’t going to be a big mistake.”
He kissed her quickly. “No way. This is going to be great. You’ll see.”
After he’d gone up the stairs, Dena stood in the doorway pondering what she’d just agreed to do. A weekend in a tent in the woods with four kids. What kind of power did Quinn have over her, anyway? She didn’t think she should search very hard for that answer. It was better not to know.
CHAPTER NINE
THEY LEFT for the campground as soon as school was out the following Friday. Quinn was as excited as the kids as he loaded the camping gear into the back of his SUV. He’d made a list of everything they’d need, checking it carefully as everyone piled their stuff inside the vehicle.
They hit the freeway, joining the procession of cars, campers and pickups leaving the city and heading north for the weekend. The two girls sat in the very last seat, the two boys in the middle and Quinn and Dena in the front.
Bethany and Kevin didn’t have a problem getting acquainted, but Dena could see by the way Sara looked at Jeremy that there was no way she was going to consider him a new friend. That was why Dena suggested the two girls sit together. Jeremy didn’t object, for it meant he was closer to Quinn.
Although Dena knew that Quinn was good with kids, taking a three-hour drive with them showed her just how much patience he had. Wisely, he’d brought movies to play on the vehicle’s DVD entertainment system in the ceiling over the passenger area. Except for Sara, who looked totally bored with the entire experience, the kids were content.
The sun was close to setting when they arrived at the campground. Quinn worked quickly to unload the tent from the carrier on top of the SUV, and in a surprisingly short time had their weekend abode in place.
“Well? What do you think?” He looked at Dena for her opinion.
“It’s….” She searched for the right word, wondering what he expected her to say about the tent. She didn’t think he wanted to hear that it was a little smaller than she expected, which was exactly what she thought. “It’s perfect!” she said with an enthusiasm she wasn’t feeling. “Two rooms, windows…poles.” She smiled lamely.
Her sole camping experience had been in a trailer home that had beds, a small refrigerator, a stove and even a bathroom. This tent was nothing but a large square with a canvas wall down the center, a zippered entrance and an awning.
Sara had a similar reaction to the sight of the tent. She screwed up her face and said, “We all sleep together?”
“It’s camping,” Quinn said amiably. “Grab your sleeping bags and claim your spots.”
It didn’t take long for the other three to scramble to get their sleeping bags and spread them in the tent.
“Maybe the girls should be in one room and the boys in the o
ther,” Dena suggested as Sara rolled her eyes when Bethany spread her bag next to the boys.
“Okay!” the eight-year-old girl said, dragging her sleeping bag to the opposite side of the tent. “Can I sleep next to you?” she asked her aunt.
“Everybody’s going to be touching everyone else,” Sara pointed out with a look on her face that conveyed exactly how unattractive the thought was.
For the next few minutes they rearranged the bags several times before everyone was finally content with the layout—everyone, that is, except Sara. By the time everything had been unloaded, it was dark.
“All right, listen up,” Quinn told them. “We have two lanterns. One stays in the tent, the other is for you to use if you need to make a trip to the bathroom. I really don’t want any of you going alone. Ask me or Dena to go with you.”
“I don’t need anyone to go to the bathroom with me,” Sara stated defiantly, a look of haughtiness on her face.
“You’ll have privacy once you get there,” Quinn assured her.
“Can we make a campfire?” Jeremy asked.
“You bet. We’re going to have s’mores. We’ve got chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers.”
Three of the four children voiced their approval, helping Quinn pick up the dead branches near the campsite to build the fire. Only Sara refused to join in, slumping down onto the picnic table bench to watch the others.
Whether it was the lure of chocolate or the fact that her brother repeatedly told her how good the s’mores were, Dena wasn’t sure, but before long, Sara reached for a stick and a marshmallow. It gave Dena hope that tomorrow would go more smoothly.
It didn’t.
They awoke to the sound of Sara screaming and shaking her sleeping bag up and down. “There’s a creepy bug in here!”
It was Jeremy who scrambled around the canvas wall to slap at the invader with his shoe. “It’s only a spider,” he said when he’d thumped it a good one.
Sara turned to Quinn and said in an accusing tone, “I thought you said there wouldn’t be any bugs in here.”
“There aren’t. Spiders are arachnids, not insects,” Jeremy told her, which didn’t do much to console her.